Price-tag holder



1929. w. s. WARFIELD, JR 1,730,959

PRICE TAG HOLDER INTI" lHillllIIllllINHIllllllllllllmllllllllmm S llllmmm Patented Oct. 8, 192-9 WILLIAM S. WARFIELD, JR, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA PRICE-TAG HOLDER Application filed October 21, 1927.

My invention relates to price tag holders and has for its general object to provide a holder which will support a price tag in a position projecting above the shelf to which the holder is attached.

Another object of my invention is to provide a holder of the simplest possible construction to accomplish the foregoing object and further to accomplish the object of ready 10 removal and attachment of the holder from and to the edge of a shelf.

Another object is to provide a holder of such construction that it may be readily manufactured in large quantities.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the edge of a shelf with my holder attached thereto and a price tag secured in the holder.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the shelf, the holder being shown in end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the holder.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the upper portion thereof.

One of the objections to many of the price tag holders for use in self-service stores and the like, has been that the tag is held in a depending position below the shelf to which it is attached and it is difficult for the cus tomer to decide whether the price refers to the goods upon the shelf or on the shelf below. lt has been my object to provide a holder which would sufficiently securely grip the tag so as to hold it in a projecting position extendin; substantially above the shelf and yet covering the forward edge of the shelf so as not to project too far upwardly. It may be noted at this point that if the tag were allowed to project its entire height above the shelf that there would be a tendency for it to interfere with removal of the goods from the shelf. Consequently it is desirable to cover the edge of the shelf with the tag.

In order to securely grip the tag, it is neces- Serial No. 227,699.

sary to employ a spring jaw construction. I am aware that price tag holders comprising integrally bent ribbons of spring metal or the like are not new and therefore do not intend to claim as my invention the use of such a construction. However, the device must be so constructed that it can be manufactured cheaply in quantities and it must further comply with the requirements for holding the tag in front of the .shelf edge and projecting thereabove. In addition to this, it is very important that the holder shall be easily attachable to and removable from the shelf without the use of a tool other than the fingers of the operator. This is necessitated by the frequent rearrangement of the goods upon a dis alay shelf in a self-service store or the like. The device is formed of a length of spring ribbon metal, preferably steel, and is formed with a straight intermediate portion 10 bent back upon itself as at 11 at one end to form a suspending hook and bent back upon the other side in a broader curve 12, terminating in a substantially straight portion 18, inclined back toward the intermediate portion and thence bent substantially parallel to the intermediate portion 10 as at 1 It may now be noted that the suspending hook and the holding jaw have been formed in the simplest manner possible by employing an 8-shaped construction in which there is no unnecessary element and which can readily 3e formed in a punch press. The straight port-ion 13 is the result of pressure directed toward the intermediate portion 10 and also toward the loop 12 by the proper part of the forming die. By pressing the end of the ribbon longitudinally of the intermediate portion 10 and toward the loop 12, it is possible to bring; the portion 1 1, which may be termed hereafter as a holding aw, into such a tight contact with the intermediate portion 10 and to produce the curve in the curved portion 12 in such a way that the jaw 14 will remain substantially in contact with the intermediate portion 10 if the device has been removed from the punch press.

The broad curve 12 not only makes it possible to form the jaw 14 so that it will not spring away from the intermediate portion 10 but serves the further purpose of providing a finger grip for the device, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

An ordinary wire staple 15, with comparatively short prongs, is received in the suspending hook 12 as the devices are assembled. The staple 15 is rectangular in cross section and is somewhat wider in cross section in a lateral direction than in a direction longitudinal of the prongs. (See Fig. 4.)

As a consequence, although the staple may be readily inserted by placing it in the relative position shown in Fig. 3, when the staple is allowed to return to a depending position, as shown in Fig. 4, it will be retained by-the jaw of the hook 11. Thus the devices may be assembled readily and yet handled thereafter without much likelihood of the staples becoming removed from the holders.

It may now be noted that the jaw 14 is cut oil short of the hook end of the holder to leave the exposed portion 16 of the intermediate portion 10. This facilitates the insertion of a tag between the intermediate portion 10 and the jaw 14:.

In attaching the holder to a shelf, the staple is held between the fingers of one hand of the operator and directed toward the shelf at a position substantially shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the thumb of the other hand may be employed, pressing against the portion 16 to force the staple into the wood of the shelf.

The device may be readily removed by placing the thumb against the flat portion 13 and the first finger is looped behind the intermediate portion 10, the loop 12 thus serving as a handle to enable the operator to grip the holder securely. The holder may then be brought to a horizontal position and the staple pulled out by means of the holder. T he broad curve of the loop 12 insures against the device slipping from between the fingers of the operator.

By securing the device in the position shown in Fig. 2, it will be seen that the tag is held with a portion of it projecting above the shelf and the remainder covering the edge of the shelf so that no more than necessary projects above the shelf.

Another advantage may be noted at this point. Although the tag is rigidly held in an upstanding position, the holder itself is swung in such a way that should a blow be received by that portion of the tag which projects above the shelf, the entire holder may pivot about the staple and allow the tag to swing away from the blow without becoming bent or broken. Thus the advantage of holding the tag rigidly in an upstanding position is combined with the advantage of balancing the tag on a pivot so that it may not be injured by an accidental blow. The weight of the holder will ordinarily be sutlicient to bring the device back to the position shown in Fig. 2 after the blow has passed.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A price tag holder comprising a flat strip of material, bent in substantially an S shape to form a suspending hook, a substantially straight intermediate portion merging with said hook, the other end of said intermediate portion being bent back upon itself in a relatively broad curve to form a member which may be securely grasped for pulling and thence extended toward the hook end of the holder and terminating in a jaw portion of substantial length substantially parallel to the intermediate portion and closely adj a cent thereto and a staple upon which said hook is suspended, said staple being adapted to be forced into the edge of a wooden shelf.

2. A price tag holder comprising a flat strip of material, bent in substantially an S shape to form a suspending hook, a substantially straight intermediate portion merging with said hook, the other end of said intermediate portion being b-ent. back upon itself in a relatively broad curve to form a member which may be securely grasped for pulling and thence extended toward the hook end of the holder and terminating in a jaw portion of substantial length substantially parallel to the intermediate portion and closely adjacent thereto and a staple upon which said hook is suspended, said staple being adapted to be forced into the edge of a wooden shelf, the end of said jaw portion being terminated short of the hook end of the holder.

Signed this 3rd day of October, 1927, in the county of lVoodbury and State of Iowa.

lVILLIAM S. lVAllFIELD, JR. 

